Coast Guard hearing highlights Titan safety failures, corporate greed

Jack Aylmer

THE COAST GUARD’S TWO-WEEK HEARING ON THE IMPLOSION OF THE TITAN SUBMERSIBLE CONCLUDES THIS WEEK.. CAPPING OFF A SAGA INGRAINED WITH NARRATIVES OF CORPORATE GREED AND SAFETY NEGLIGENCE. 

“THEY WERE JUST VERY HAPPY TO GO. THAT’S THE MEMORY I HAVE. NOBODY WAS REALLY NERVOUS. THEY WERE A LITTLE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE GOING TO SEE. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR CAMERA, THAT TYPE OF THING.”

WITNESSES TESTIFIED THAT OCEANGATE, THE COMPANY BEHIND THE TITAN, PRIORITIZED PROFITS OVER THE SAFETY OF ITS PAYING CLIENTS. 

A FORMER OPERATIONS TECHNICIAN FOR OCEANGATE, EXPRESSED DEEP CONCERNS ABOUT THE COMPANY’S DECISION TO BREAK TIES WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND REDUCE THE THICKNESS OF THE SUBMERSIBLE’S HULL. OTHERS RECOUNTED HOW OCEANGATE CLAIMED THE COMPANY COULD BYPASS U.S. REGULATIONS BY LOBBYING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

“YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE CONFIDENCE IN THE EQUIPMENT TO DO THE JOB. IT’S LIKE EVERY OTHER INDUSTRY. IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE CONFIDENCE IN IT, YOU DON’T DO IT. THAT’S IT.”

“AND DID YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE WAY THAT THE TITAN WAS BEING BUILT AT THIS TIME?”

“NO CONFIDENCE WHATSOEVER. AND I WAS VERY VOCAL ABOUT THAT. AND STILL AM.”

COAST GUARD OFFICIALS DESCRIBED THE LARGE-SCALE OPERATION TO GATHER EXPERTS AND RESOURCES FOR THE SEARCH… MOBILIZING OVER 70-THOUSAND POUNDS OF GEAR TO THE SITE OF THE IMPLOSION. THEY WENT ON TO STATE OCEANGATE HAD NO EMERGENCY BACKUP PLAN.

“THE DEFINITION OF AN ACCIDENT IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED UNEXPECTEDLY AND BY SHEER CHANCE. THERE WAS NOTHING UNEXPECTED ABOUT THIS. THIS WAS EXPECTED BY EVERYBODY THAT HAD ACCESS TO A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION. AND I THINK THAT IF IT WASN’T AN ACCIDENT, IT THEN HAS TO BE SOME … SOME DEGREE OF CRIME.”

THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS ARE NOW PURSUING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST OCEANGATE, WITH ONE FAMILY SEEKING OVER 50 MILLION DOLLARS FOR WHAT THEY ALLEGE TO BE GROSS NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF THE COMPANY.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M JACK AYLMER.